Retired forest manager Andreas Landewee is a reluctant witness to history, having survived both World War II and the Soviet occupation of Germany. When his wife Elizabeth dies, he decides to leave Europe and live in a cabin deep in the woods of British Columbia. Landewee sees this move as a chance to start a new life. But without realizing it, he begins to re-create his old one. He imports trees from Europe. He invites his children to join him in Canada. He frantically awaits keepsakes from home, including Elizabeth''s most prized possession -- a piano given to her by her hero and admirer, Adolf Hitler. Yet despite these inescapable ties to the past, Landewee tries to make good in his new home. He renews his relationship with his son, befriends his neighbours, and defends his adopted forest. With time, he slowly begins to explore the memories carried within the piano, and -- through the beauty of Beethoven''s Ninth Symphony -- finally comes to realize that only by accepting the past can he move towards redemption.